Medium
by SheeWolf85
Summary: Nessie Cullen is a medium; she can communicate with the dead. She joins Jacob and his small group of paranormal investigators in hopes of finding proof that what she experiences on a day to day basis is real. AU/AH. Rated M for language and violence. Complete.
1. Prologue

Summary: Nessie Cullen is a medium; she can communicate with the dead. She joins Jacob and his small group of paranormal investigators in hopes of finding proof that what she experiences on a day to day basis is real. AU/AH. Rated M for language and violence.

A/N: Hi there! Welcome to a new short story. I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to update this story, but I will do my best to make it semi-regularly. Please forgive me if it takes a while, though. The next part will be up next week, and after that I don't have anything written. I'm excited about this, though, and I hope you give it a chance!

As usual, I don't own any recognizable characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. I just own the plot and a few original characters spaced throughout :)

Enjoy! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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Medium

_Medium - noun; a person supposedly used as a spiritual intermediary between the dead and the living._

~*~0~*~  
Prologue  
~*~0~*~

I watched silently as Jacob crossed the grass and sat next to me on the bench. He looked around for a moment, then turned his still-handsome face to the clear, blue sky. The birds sang happily and flew around, flirting with each other in the early spring air. He sighed deeply and looked down at the flowers in his hand. I knew they were for me. I wondered briefly how long it would take him to give them to me this time.

I knew he wasn't happy. It made me sad each time I saw his face, worn and weathered from years and stress. He didn't sleep well. He'd told me that often; he had nightmares that kept him awake. I couldn't blame him. For any of it, really. Nothing that had happened was his fault, no matter how hard he tried to take responsibility.

I reached over and touched his arm. The light jacket he was wearing wouldn't block my touch. He shivered, but otherwise didn't acknowledge me. I moved a little closer and thought about saying something. He wouldn't hear me even if I did. I tried to lay my head on his shoulder. He shivered again and stood up.

"I'm sorry, Ness," he said simply. He didn't move to leave; he just stood there.

I didn't try to touch him again. I'd wondered often if he even knew I was here. He wasn't as sensitive to these things as I had been. I thought about the past and everything that had led us to this point as I watched him stare at my grave.

My name is Nessie Cullen. This is the story of how I died.


	2. The Beginning

A/N: As you see from the prologue, this story will contain character death.

One of my readers, FadingEmotion, made a banner for the story! Check it out on my website, sheewolf85 . weebly . com / artwork; remove the spaces.

Enjoy!

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Medium

~*~0~*~  
Part One – The Beginning  
_Fifteen Years Earlier  
_~*~0~*~

Since I was a young girl, I saw strange things. Things that other people couldn't see and my parents said weren't there. I had nightmares about creatures with abnormally long, twisted limbs, black figures without faces, and other terrible things. I heard voices in the night and saw shadows of people in my room. I blamed them on a monster in my closet and hid under the covers most nights.

It took me a very long time to realize what the strange things were. I was almost fifteen when I learned I wasn't the only person who could hear and see them. There were even names for what I was, medium and psychic among them. I could communicate with the Other Side—the realm of the dead. A year later, I started to learn how to block them out and control this so-called gift. Joseph, A friend of mine—the only friend I had who truly understood—told me to ignore them. There was only so much I could ignore, though. No matter how normal I pretended to be, they were always there.

Joseph and I worked together at a grocery store for a while after high school until he decided to move away to go to college. I stayed in Washington and applied to the University of Washington a few months later in the spring semester.

College wasn't anything spectacular at first. I studied hard and made new friends, although I wasn't very close to any of them. It was the beginning of my third semester that things started to change.

I woke up late the first day and had to rush to get ready. My auburn hair was up in a messy bun, my brown eyes were tired and probably bloodshot from lack of sleep, and my shirt was only half tucked into my jeans. I had the campus map in my hand and looked at it as I walked instead of where I was going. I ran right into a man, causing him to drop his books.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry." I helped him get the books. There weren't that many.

"Weren't you watching where you were going?" he asked. His voice was calm, not upset the way I'd expected.

I looked up at him as I handed him the books. He was tall with dark hair and eyes. The beginnings of a beard were growing around a smirk.

"No, I wasn't. I'm sorry. I was trying to figure out how to get to my trig class." It wouldn't have surprised me if they rearranged the campus every semester. Everything was hard to find or at least hard to get to.

He nodded. "Where's it at?"

I told him the room and the professor's name. He took a minute to show me on the map exactly where I needed to go and how to get there from where I was. I liked the sound of his voice. It was deep and smooth.

I smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much."

"Yeah, no problem." He held out his hand. "I'm Jacob, by the way. Jacob Black."

I shook his hand with a huge grin. "Hi, Jacob. I'm Nessie. Nessie Cullen."

He quirked his lips. "It's nice to meet you, Nessie."

I wished I had the time to chit-chat with him. "You too . . . I, um, really have to go. I'm sorry I bumped into you, but thank you again for your help. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime?"

He released my hand and smiled again. "Sure thing. See you 'round, Ness." He patted my shoulder before going on his way.

I did actually meet up with Jacob a week later. He was in the campus cafeteria doing something on his lap top when I went in to get something to eat. He hadn't shaved the scruff, but it didn't look much thicker either. I wondered if he kept it that way on purpose. After I got my tuna salad, I went over and sat at the table next to his. I wasn't sure if he'd remember who I was. He smiled as when he looked up at me.

"Hey, Ness," he said cheerfully. "Come on over here." He moved his foot off the chair he'd been resting it on and gestured for me to take the seat. I did.

"Are you researching something?" I asked, nodding toward his computer.

He smirked. "Yeah. It's not for a class; it's just a personal thing."

"What is it?" I clumsily scooted the chair closer to him. It screeched against the floor.

He gave me a quick, skeptical glance. "You have to promise you won't laugh."

"I swear it." I held up my right hand.

He narrowed his eyes for a brief moment before he decided I could be trusted. He turned the laptop a little so I could see better. The page he was on had a list with details after each item. I read a few of them and realized he was researching haunted places in Seattle. A deep shiver ran down my spine when I saw the listing for the screaming well. I'd been there once before. Once was enough to convince me never to go back. Not only did I hear the infamous screams and scratching, I saw the people down inside who had fallen to their deaths. I heard each word as if they had whispered it right next to me. The memory brought the sound back to my ears. I sat back and stared into my salad for a moment.

"Well, at least you didn't laugh. You can tell me it's stupid. 'Ghosts don't exist' and all that crap." He chuckled.

I wanted to laugh with him. I swallowed and wondered if I dared tell him that ghosts and spirits and demons most certainly did exist. I saw them every day. I cleared my throat and smiled instead. "I believe in them."

He met my eyes with a strange sort of relieved surprise. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I mean, there's no proof that they _don't_ exist, right?" I tried a laugh. It was weak.

Jacob sat up straight and startled me with his sudden excitement. "That's exactly my whole point!" His smile was huge. I had a feeling he didn't get to explain his point of view on this subject very often. "I want to find it. I want some kind of proof that they either do or don't. Definitive proof. I don't need to convince the whole world; just something would be nice."

He'd get his something if I could just let him inside my head for a few hours. I didn't really have a good response, so I just nodded and waited to see if he'd keep talking. He did.

"I kind of have this thing . . . it's not real big yet, but I kind of have a team." He looked around for a second before he leaned in and licked his full lips. "A paranormal investigation team." He sat back again. I smiled again and tried to scoot a little closer. "It's just me and two others right now. We haven't done any actual investigation yet, but we've done the cliché things like walking through cemeteries and stuff. I want something real. I've got all the equipment I need."

"Do you have a medium?" I snapped my mouth shut and sat back.

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "No. That'd be pretty awesome, though. I've got a scaredy-cat, a skeptic, and myself."

I smirked. "You need a medium." I wasn't volunteering, I told myself. I was just stating a fact.

"Know any?"

Say no. Say no. "Kind of." What the hell?

He brightened up again. "Do you think they'd want to join my team?"

My stomach churned. "I could ask." I could just imagine the conversation. _"Self, do you want to join a paranormal investigation team?" "Thanks for the offer, Self, but I'm kinda busy not being bombarded with the Other Side right now."_

He dug something out of his computer bag and handed it to me. It was a business card. "These are really crappy, but I made them myself. I plan on getting better ones when everybody's ready to get serious about it. Could you give it to him? Her? Your friend?"

I smiled and took the card. On the front was a black and white picture of him. The name of the team was Beyond the Veil Paranormal Research and Investigation. I liked it. The card had his name, phone and fax numbers, email address, and his website address.

"Yeah, I'll give it to her. Thanks."

"No, thank _you_. This is awesome. Have you talked to her about this kind of stuff? I mean, does she really talk to ghosts and stuff?"

I had such an urge to tell him nobody could talk to ghosts. It was the spirits he wanted to communicate with. Instead of pointing out the distinction, I just nodded. "Yeah; she's pretty much dealt with it her whole life."

Jacob nodded. "Very cool. Ask her to call me when she gets a chance."

"Sure."

I put the card in my purse and checked the time. I was almost late to my next class. "Crap, I have to go. It was nice talking to you, Jacob." I stood up and gathered up my things. I didn't have a lot; just my salad, a fork, and my purse.

He nodded and leaned back in his chair. "You, too. See you 'round." He looked very relaxed. After a second, I cleared my throat and offered an awkward wave, then I walked away.

Joseph had often told me how spirits sought out mediums just for the chance to be heard. Most of the time, they weren't malicious. They just needed something to be able to cross over. A part of me wondered if crossing over was even possible for some of them. Maybe a peaceful afterlife was all they wanted. There were some, though, that were malicious. They'd seek out any opportunity to hurt or destroy. Sometimes they weren't strong enough to do anything but give a chill. Other times they could force their way into your mind without being invited.

At home that night, I put on some music and sat down to meditate and strengthen my mind against the Other Side. I had to do it often, but it was more important after talking about it or having anything to do with it. Movies and other media, especially. After thinking about it for a long time, I realized that I was interested in doing what Jacob had talked about. The idea of finding indisputable proof that I wasn't crazy seemed more and more appealing with every passing minute.

Over the next two weeks, in between classes, studying, and trying to keep something of a social life, I did a lot of research on well-known mediums and how they did what they did without going crazy. I had done a little bit of it before Joseph moved away, but I was never really that interested in what I found. This time I had to know how to effectively communicate without going down the wrong path. I realized that many psychics were fakes and just really good at reading people while others seemed to somehow compartmentalize their experiences and control what got through their wall. I wanted to learn how to control it better.

It was late October when I finally convinced myself to admit to Jacob I was the medium I'd talked about and ask to join his team. I was too nervous to tell him on the phone, so I just said my friend that we'd talked about wanted to meet with him. He sounded so excited. I hoped he wasn't disappointed when he learned who it really was. He invited me and my "friend" over that afternoon. I got ready and stared at my face in the mirror for a few minutes. I wasn't really that pretty, but I wasn't terrible, either. For the first time, I wondered what Jacob thought. He was damn handsome, so it wasn't that far of a stretch to assume I wouldn't even be on his radar. After a moment, I wondered why I even cared.

"Come on, Ness," I told myself. "Grow a backbone. You're not a teenager anymore. You're twenty-three. Get with the program and tell the boy you see dead people."

I sighed and put my shoes on, then I left. I got to Jacob's apartment shortly before two o'clock. He seemed confused when I showed up alone.

"Hey, Ness. Where's your friend?"

I licked my lips and clasped my fingers together in front of me. "About that . . . um. My medium friend? She's me." I peeked up at him and prepared myself for his disappointment.

Instead of being upset, he chuckled and shut the door behind us. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

I shrugged. "I was nervous. I still am."

He led me to the living room where we sat on an overstuffed green couch. It didn't really match the blue carpeting or the brown recliner, but I figured a college guy had to take what he could get. I was in the same boat.

"You don't need to be nervous, Ness. I'm not going to judge you. I've been searching for proof of all this paranormal stuff for years, and I've seen and heard a lot. Not much surprises me." He shrugged. "So do you go around talking to ghosts and stuff?"

I licked my lips. "No. I, um . . . It's not like Sylvia Browne where I hear angels and children wherever I go. I mean, I do hear your typical spirits asking to give a message to a loved one, but that's not all."

Jacob's brow furrowed. "What else you hear?"

"Other stuff. I see the darker side, too. It's not all lights flickering and footsteps. Sometimes it's scratches down my back and screams and hard to breathe." I shivered.

Jake scooted a little closer and put his hand on mine. "Are you sure you want to do this, then?"

I met his eyes. "No, I'm not sure. But I would like to try. I want to know if it's possible to prove what I see is real. Only a handful of people have ever understood me. Even my parents think I'm nuts."

"Okay. So when do you want to meet the team?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Even though I think I want to do this, I'm still really nervous about the darker side of things. It's tricky, and if you don't do it right you can invite things in that never go away."

His thumb rubbed the back of my hand. "I'm not in any hurry, Ness. Just like the other two people in my team, I want you to be safe. Do what you need to protect yourself."

I smiled and leaned in to hug him. "Thank you." It made me so happy that he just accepted me like this.

He hugged me back. "Sure."

I went home that night and meditated again. I did some more research, hoping to find a more experienced medium I could train with. I tried to get in contact with Joseph, but every method failed. Even e-mail. I didn't let myself consider a darker possibility; I explained it away as Joseph ignoring me or even a technical error. I couldn't find any other psychics that looked credible, though, so I found a few metaphysical shops the next day and bought a few books on psychic awareness and controlling pathways.

I blazed through each book, and it seemed I had to work harder to keep my mind strong. On Saturday, I met Quil and Claire, Jacob's team, at Jacob's apartment. Quil was a husky man, but it seemed to me it was all muscle. He was almost as tall as Jacob, and he had a full beard. He reminded me very much of the typical brawny lumberjack. All he needed was a red flannel shirt and an axe. Claire was younger than I'd expected her to be. She was sixteen, just barely got her driver's license, and I couldn't keep track of how many times she declared her hatred for high school. She whispered to me a few times that she had a crush on Quil. I couldn't blame her. Both he and Jacob were hot.

Overall, I think they liked me. Or at least accepted me. Quil was the skeptic Jake had talked about, and he didn't believe that I could see the Other Side. He didn't make fun of me about it, though, which I really appreciated. Claire was the scaredy-cat and didn't want to hear any of my stories. One of the ones I did tell, though, happened a few years ago. I talked with a man on my porch for over an hour before I realized he was slowly becoming more and more invisible. Eventually, he bid me good day and disappeared halfway down the walk way.

"When I was a kid, I had a tiger for an imaginary friend," Quil said. "He could fly."

Jacob gave him a dirty look. "I doubt that was an imaginary friend, Quil."

If it was possible for me to like Jacob more, it had just happened. Joseph was the only other person I'd ever met who would stand up for me. Some might believe me, but they never came to my defense when I was told it was a joke or that I was crazy.

Quil shrugged. "Either way, when are we going out next? We should try to break into a cemetery on Halloween."

I snorted. The other three looked at me with a questioning glance. I shifted a little. "The cemetery is their final resting place. Most of the spirits have already passed on, but the ones there usually just want to be left in peace. I rarely even see anything in a cemetery. Besides that, security will be very tight on Halloween. Cops will be expecting that."

Jacob nodded. "She's right. Besides, we need to try to break away from that kind of cliché crap. I want to do something real."

Claire bounced on her seat beside me. "We could talk to someone from that old church down Charles Street. We wouldn't be the first to ever go there, but I bet we'd get something." For a person who claimed to be so terrified of the paranormal, she sure seemed excited about an investigation.

Jacob pursed his lips. "What do you think about that, Ness?"

I wasn't sure why he was asking me, but I nodded anyway. "Sure, we could do that."

He watched me for a moment before he nodded again. "All right. I'll see what I can come up with. It'll probably be after Halloween, though."

I stayed for a while after Quil and Claire left. I wasn't sure if I had a reason, but it felt nice when he didn't mind.

"I've been studying this whole medium thing," I told him.

We were on the couch together. He seemed much more relaxed than I was, though. He was leaned back with his arm stretched out over the back behind me. One foot rested on the coffee table. I had myself perched on the edge of the cushion.

"Yeah? Found anything interesting?"

I looked over at him. "Kind of. A few small things like some tips on keeping my energy positive so those dark things have a hard time getting to me."

"That's good. I hope it helps." He reached out his hand and touched my back. "You can relax, you know. I'm not going to bite you."

I didn't tell him I might like that. Instead, I leaned back and tried to make it look natural. He put his arm down around my shoulders and patted my arm. We were both silent for a few minutes. I wasn't sure what he was feeling, but I wasn't exactly comfortable. Half of me wanted to curl into him and accept his warmth while the other half wanted to run very far away.

"Thank you for this, Ness," he said a while later. "I really hope this church works out. Have you ever been there?"

I looked up at him. "Not the one on Charles Street. I've heard things about it, though. People say they've heard whispers and footsteps, right?"

Jacob nodded. "Yeah. And I guess there's supposed to be a shadow of a priest that used to spend a lot of his time there before he died of a heart attack at his desk."

If the priest was there, I'd know it when we walked in. "All right. I guess that doesn't sound too bad."

He smiled. "The first few investigations are probably going to be pretty clumsy. Hopefully we get something, though."

I let myself relax against him a little more. "If there's anything there, I'm sure we will."

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading!


	3. First Investigations

A/N: Thanks so much to all of my readers for giving this story a chance. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Medium

~*~0~*~  
Part Two – First Investigations  
~*~0~*~

The first investigation that I went on with Jacob and his team was interesting. It was a week after Halloween, and Jacob had gotten permission for us to go into the church on Charles Street. There were conditions, of course. We could only have ourselves, a digital camera, and a tape recorder. None of the lights would be turned off, and we were not allowed to stay after ten o'clock. Jacob and I stayed in the chapel while Quil and Claire went to the basement to see if they could find anything.

About an hour into it, a priest came out to pray. We left him alone to do his thing. Afterward he stood up and turned to stare at us. I waved at him, but he didn't respond. Jacob furrowed his brow and snapped a few pictures of the priest. I gave him a dirty look. After a few minutes, the priest walked away.

"What was that?" I asked, turning to Jacob. "Could you have a little respect?"

Jacob gestured toward the pulpit. "What were you waving at?"

"The priest." I said it like it was obvious, because it should have been.

"The dead one?"

I got it then. I was the only one who saw him. I sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Sorry I got snippy."

Jacob just shrugged. "Hopefully we got something of him."

I saw the priest a few more times, but he never said anything. He wasn't doing anything abnormal. The fourth time he came out, I decided to try something. I walked up to him and introduced myself. He walked through me and went on his way. It was then I realized what was going on.

I shrugged and turned to the others. Quil and Claire had just come up from the basement. They said they hadn't experienced anything, although Claire had clung to Quil's arm the whole time.

"Find anything up here?" Quil asked.

"She's been doing her psychic thing with a priest," Jacob responded, gesturing to me. "Not sure if I got anything on camera, though."

"You might not. He's just a recording himself." I shrugged.

Quil laughed. "What?"

"I call it a ghost rather than a spirit. The priest spent so much of his time and devoted so much to this church that his impression is still here. Trying to communicate with him would be like trying to talk to a character on a TV show. He's not really here."

Jacob nodded. "I know what you're talking about, but it's still a bummer."

We left the church at ten o'clock and went back to Jacob's place to look over our footage. All in all, we caught absolutely nothing. It was still nice to know that we were able to work together and pull off a real investigation.

I talked to the pastor at my church a few weeks later and got us in to my church. I'd known the pastor since I was a young girl, and he was one of the people who accepted what I claimed without believing it himself. He gave us permission to investigate the church. We had pretty much the same conditions, except this time Jake was able to take the EMF detector along with.

He had explained to me that it was meant to capture any spikes in the electro-magnetic field that paranormal beings were said to be able to manipulate. The results of that investigation were the same as the last, but without the spiritual impressions. The one time the EMF detected anything significant was near a generator.

Quil was pretty smug about the whole thing. He reminded us all that the Other Side didn't exist. I didn't bother to comment; I knew what I saw and experienced. I was already looking forward to our next outing, even though we didn't know when or where that might be.

Jacob and I met for lunch a few times over the next few weeks. He was in school to get his Master's degree in computer engineering. He had one year left before graduation. I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I was just in it for the generals. I always liked spending time with him, but I found as time went on that I enjoyed it more than I did hanging out with my other friends. I felt closer to Jacob simply because he knew about my gift and accepted it as fact. According to him, I'd proven myself on that first investigation. For all he knew, I could have made all of it up. He trusted me, though, and that felt so good.

After the first of the year, Jacob started to really push advertisement for Beyond the Veil. We even got better business cards with our pictures on them. I passed mine out to anyone who seemed like they might be interested. The third week in January, we finally got a call.

A woman who lived alone with her eight-year-old boy called to tell us that she believed her son was haunted. His clothes would go missing, lights would flicker, he'd complain of a monster in his closet, and his books would rearrange themselves. I was really excited to go on this investigation; I wondered if I could even help whatever spirit was causing it to move on.

Once the team was assembled and ready, we went over to the house at dusk. It was a pretty well-known fact that paranormal activity was higher at night. The mother, Ingrid, let us in and introduced us to her son, Jaime. He looked like a little punk with torn clothing and a mean face, but I kept my observations to myself. The first thing I did was try to search out any spirits. I didn't feel any negative energy at all. The usual positive fluctuation was there. Every time I looked at the boy, though, my back tightened just a little. I had a feeling he was behind it all.

In the end, I was right. Not only did we catch absolutely nothing paranormal, but we also saw the little brat manning the light switches to make them flicker. I had to wonder how much attention Ingrid actually paid to her son. We gave her our results, thanked her for calling us, and left.

"That was a disappointment," Jacob said on our way back to his house.

I scoffed. "Understatement."

Quil, once again, was smug about it. Claire was happy to at least say she was the one that saw the boy at the light switches.

I told myself not to give up. Maybe if I could convince Jacob to do an investigation on my life, we'd get something. Nothing ever stayed long, though, and I never knew when they'd start talking. I couldn't ask Jake, Quil, and Claire to follow me around all the time with all of the equipment. So instead, I continued living as normal, still meeting with Jacob more often than the rest of my friends, and still feeling more and more comfortable around him.

For shits and giggles, I decided to always carry a small tape recorder and digital camera with me. One night at home, I was doing homework on my computer and felt someone behind me. I turned around to see a boy around ten years old with blonde hair playing with a small toy truck in the middle of the floor. I smiled; children were usually peaceful.

"Hi," I said in a sing-song voice.

The boy ignored me. I turned to save my homework and shut my laptop, then I turned back. Behind the boy was a man, but there wasn't another presence to go with him. He was an image, most likely projected by the boy. The man was tall and thick and reminded me vaguely of Quil. The biggest difference was the angry look on the man's face. I knew better than to ignore what the boy was showing me.

"Who is he?" I asked. Again, he ignored me. I sighed. "What's your name?"

I was getting a little annoyed and was about to tell him to leave me alone when he finally looked up at me. I gasped and sat back; his face was mutilated and half rotted away. Suffocating fear tightened my whole body, and I was caught in whatever this boy was about to show me.

I saw it all in my head. He was on vacation with his family. It was old; long ago. A low-budget hotel. The third floor. The family was laughing. He loved his mother but was annoyed with his older sister. His mother met a man. The man he'd shown me. The mother and daughter went shopping. The man showed up. He smelled like alcohol, and it made my head spin. He was angry that the woman wasn't there. He hit the boy. I cried out and fell to floor as if I was the one that had been hit. My face burned from the impact. The boy tried to run. The man chased him into another room. My heart raced; I felt the boy panicking as he tried to find a place to hide. He got under the bed. The man found him. I screamed with the boy as the man dragged him out and beat him again. The man threw him out of the window.

Suddenly the vision was gone. I lay gasping on the floor, my eyes closed tightly. I heard the boy whispering to me. He wanted me to help him find peace. His family thought it was an accident.

When the whispering was gone and I was alone again, I was finally able to open my eyes. My nose was bleeding and I'd probably have a black eye, but other than that, I was fine. I took several deep breaths and looked up at the ceiling to try to gather myself. The name of the hotel was still fresh in my mind. I turned to the computer to type it down, but it was already there. The name, the address, the phone number, and even the police department I would need to speak to about the decades-old case. It was all local. The boy's name was under it. Aaron Wilkins.

I went to the bathroom and cleaned up a little bit, then I called Jacob. I wasn't going anywhere without him and his team. I explained to him what happened and what we needed to do.

"Wait, Nessie, calm down. You were attacked?"

I swallowed. "Kind of. Not exactly. It was more—"

"I'll be there in a few minutes."

He hung up. I sighed, printed out the information I needed, then went to sit in the living room and wait for Jacob. He showed up a few minutes later. As I had expected, the first thing he did was inspect my face. The bruise was already spreading, and I'd decided I was lucky that my nose wasn't broken. Aaron's had been.

Jacob seemed like he was caught between being concerned about me and being fascinated by the idea that a spirit had done this to me.

"This just happens sometimes, Jake," I told him. "Remember when I told you I'm not like those 'channeling' mediums that supposedly only talk to gods and angels?" I gestured to my face. "This is what a strong spirit is capable of. Worse sometimes, but I don't think he was malicious or even mischievous. I invited him to talk to me, and this was how he chose to communicate. He's waited so long for someone to listen to him and take him seriously. I need to help him, or at least try."

Jacob nodded. "We'll help him. It's almost ten, though; I think we should start tomorrow."

I agreed with him. It wouldn't be possible to get a hold of anyone worthwhile tonight. "So I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Are you going to be okay here by yourself?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Of course."

He hesitated. "You're sure? I mean, what if the boy comes back?"

"Then I get more information. It's not like you'd be able to protect me or that I even need that, Jake. I'll be just fine." A very small part of me really liked the idea of Jacob staying the night with me, but I decided it was the lonely, possibly horny side of me. It had nothing to do with spirits, ghosts, demons, or anything else related to why he was here in the first place.

Jacob looked down, and I thought he might have blushed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I, uh . . . I'll see you tomorrow." He held out his hand awkwardly. I'd never seen him insecure. I wondered if he thought I just shot him down. I hoped not. Instead of shaking his hand, I stepped forward and hugged him.

"Thank you coming to check on me tonight. I really appreciate it."

He hugged me back tightly. "Anytime, Ness. Please don't hesitate to call me any time something like this happens, okay?"

I moved back and nodded. "I promise."

After Jacob left, I went back to my room to finish my homework for the night. Sitting on my chair was the truck Aaron had been playing with. I picked it up and set it on my desk.

"We'll prove that you were murdered. I promise. All we need is a little patience, okay? These things can take time."

~*~0~*~

Talking to the hotel about an investigation in a particular room was easier than I thought it would have been. They had received several complaints over the years about faint screams being heard in the room, the window closing by itself, and children seeing a boy under the bed. Luckily for us, the hotel hadn't been renovated in over fifty years. Some of the furniture was new, but for the most part, it was the same as it had been sixty-five years ago. Claire was scared out of her mind going into the investigation after seeing what happened to me. Quil didn't say it, but I could see in his face that he thought I'd made up the story to cover for some other accident.

We had all of our equipment with us and set up by nine o'clock. I sat on the bed and stared at the window. I saw my reflection in the glass and trained my eyes on the bruise on the bridge of my nose.

"Aaron," I said after a few minutes. "I'm here now. Can you show me again what happened and anything that might help us prove that you were murdered?"

I waited for a few minutes. Nothing happened. I asked again for any kind of sign that he was there, but still got nothing in response. I sighed. "Please give me something, Aaron. We might not have a chance to come back."

"Claire, knock it off," Quil said.

Claire, sitting by Jacob on the chairs behind Quil, furrowed her brow. "Knock what off?" she asked.

"Stop hitting my legs."

I leaned forward to see Quil better. Sure enough, Aaron sat behind Quil and was hitting his legs with another toy truck.

"It's not Claire; Aaron's behind you."

Jacob snapped a few pictures while Claire turned on the tape recorder in hopes of getting an EVP. The video cameras were already recording.

Quil scoffed. "Whatever. Tell the brat to leave me alone."

Aaron glared up at Quil. The sensation of fear crushed my chest, and I gasped as I leaned back. I saw the man in my head again and realized why the boy didn't like Quil.

"He's not the same, Aaron. I promise; Quil is nice. We need him here with us." I took a deep breath as the pressure eased.

"He won't believe me," Aaron whispered.

"That doesn't matter. I believe you."

Aaron looked at Quil again for a moment before he dropped to his knees and crawled under the bed. "Come with me."

I shivered and looked over at Jacob. "He wants me to go under the bed."

Jacob stood up and came into the room with me. "Can't we just move the bed?"

Aaron's hand came out and grabbed my ankle. "No! Come here!"

I swallowed and shook my head.

"I don't like it," Jacob said.

Like it or not, it was what the boy wanted. I licked my lips and got up. "It could help."

"Two minutes, Ness. Then I'm moving the bed."

"Okay." I got down on the floor and scooted under the bed next to Aaron. I looked out to see Jacob's sneaker-clad feet pacing. "What do you need to show me?"

Aaron put his hand on mine. When physical contact was possible, it provided a much stronger connection. I was suddenly sucked into another time, another situation where I was hiding from something dangerous. The feet I saw were no longer Jacob's. They were cowboy boots. Black. Possibly snake skin. They came slowly into the room and paused. The tension all around me was nauseating. I vomited on the floor. The bed started to shake, but the vision didn't stop. The feet came toward me, then suddenly an angry, drunken face was peering at me. I screamed as the man reached out and grabbed me. My fingers clawed against the hardwood floor, trying to find anything to hold onto. Three of my fingernails broke, causing my fingers to bleed.

Then it was gone. A loud screech broke through everything, and Jake grabbed my arms to pull me up.

"Nessie! What happened, Nessie?"

I gasped in air and let myself relax against him. It took me a moment to calm down enough to look at him. "There has to be some kind of DNA evidence in the floor that shows Aaron was hiding. He threw up and broke his fingernails."

Jacob grabbed my hands and looked at them. He breathed a sigh of relief, and I realized he was checking to see if the same had happened to me. It hadn't. I hadn't thrown up, either.

"Window!" Aaron all but shouted. I cringed and looked over at the window. He was standing there and showed me how his arm and his leg had scraped the frame on his way out.

"They have to check the window, too. There'll be something there."

Jacob nodded. "Okay. So next we convince the police to open up a forty-year-old case." He still hadn't let go of me. I couldn't deny that it felt good to be so close to him. It could only last a few more minutes.

We finished up the investigation at midnight and went back to Jacob's pace to review the evidence. For all the contact I had with Aaron, the most we got was a possible shadow under the bed with me from the camera we'd positioned there and a fuzzy EVP of the words "Window" and "Come here." It wasn't anything extraordinary and probably wouldn't convince anyone. Quil had a hard time with what we got; he still didn't believe it, but he couldn't call me a fraud. At least not to my face. Instead, he blamed it all on the power of suggestion.

Getting a hold of the police and convincing them to re-open Aaron's case wasn't easy. I wouldn't give up, though. I would keep pushing until they did something. I begged them to at least send a DNA team and check those spots for blood and test for Aaron's.

In the meantime, I would just keep living my life. Aaron showed up a few times, and each time I promised him we'd get his side of the story told. He never showed me anything else, for which I was grateful.

I tried to contact Joseph again to give him an update. I knew he'd want to know about Aaron. I still couldn't reach him. I found him on Facebook, but none of the messages I tried to send went through. I sighed. It was hard to convince myself that there wasn't something out there blocking me from contacting him. It wouldn't have been the first time.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading! The story is half over! I have not finished the next chapter, so I'm not sure if it will be updated next week or not. It's very possible, but I won't promise.

For those of you reading Faith, Hope, and Love, I haven't abandoned the story. I've started chapter 12 and hope to have more time to write in the coming weeks. I don't have an ETA yet.


	4. Accidental Invocation

A/N: It's been forever! Thank you to those of you who are still reading! I hope you enjoy this little bit of creepiness :)

Special thanks to WolfGirl1335 for pre-reading. You're the best, babe!

* * *

Medium

~*~0~*~  
Part Three – Accidental Invocation  
~*~0~*~

"What do you think about the Allen Library?" Jacob asked.

I looked up from my sandwich and raised my eyebrow. "I think it's a pretty building with a lot of books."

He smirked. "I mean for an investigation. It's been on my list, but I think I may have gotten us permission to do it."

I shrugged. "We could try it. Guy really just wants the place to be neat, that's all."

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that Guy is the ghost and that he's said that himself."

"He's the spirit, yes. He gets upset when the books aren't put back the way he thinks they should be. It would be pretty cool to catch him on film. I'm in."

Jacob nodded. "Awesome. I'll talk to Quil and Claire about it. Maybe this weekend?"

I shrugged one shoulder. "Sure."

It was nearly April, and things were going well for everyone. Claire was getting more and more excited about turning seventeen and graduating the eleventh grade. After watching her and Quil together over the months, I got the impression that he was just waiting for her to turn eighteen so he could ask her out. Jacob all but confirmed that for me when I asked him. He didn't go into specifics; he just said that Claire wasn't the only one with those feelings. I thought they'd be good for each other.

Watching them together had made me realize how alone I was. Granted, I had a lot of really good friends, but there was some deep part of me that wanted more. Being with Jacob made that empty feeling go away, which only made me want to be near him more often.

I listened impassively as Jake talked on his phone to Quil about the library. From his reactions, it seemed Quil was up for it. If he was, then Claire would be.

We had a long list of places we wanted to eventually investigate. Jacob had made most of it long before I met him. As we talked about other places, the list grew. Some were removed based on everyone's feelings and my input. One place that always made me shudder every time I saw the name was The House Without Windows. It was Jacob's dream hunt. He'd told me it had been on his list since he first heard of the place. It was supposedly once used by Satanists to perform sacrifices. Another story was that it was a slave house for young girls. Nobody really knew for sure. Even I didn't know. The few times I'd seen the place, I never experienced anything other than a squeezing pain in my back and chest. I didn't hear anything or see any figures. The pain was enough to convince me I didn't need to.

The rest of us had our dream hunts as well. Quil's was an old abandoned mental institution. He didn't care which one; he just thought it would be cool to see inside one. Claire's was anywhere that had friendly spirits, like a grandmother or a harmless child. I almost suggested a few times that she go to visit a care center; there were usually at least two or three calm, elderly spirits around those places.

My dream hunt wasn't as specific. I just wanted proof. I wanted clear visual and audio to take to my parents and prove to them that the things I'd claimed as a child had been true. I figured there would be a pretty good chance of getting that at Quil's mental institution, but I didn't know of one nearby that was abandoned or at least willing to let investigators in.

"Don't think so hard; you'll strain something."

I blinked and looked at Jacob. He gave me his signature smirk and picked up his fork. I laughed a little and took another bite of my sandwich.

"What are you thinking about, anyway?"

I shrugged. "The places we want to go."

He nodded and met my eyes for a moment. "Got any other ideas, or are you just going over our list again?"

"Just our list."

He nodded again. "One day."

I smiled and agreed.

That weekend, as planned, we got together with all of our equipment at Allen Library. Guy wasn't in the mood for visitors, and I didn't really see him much. He told us to go away a few times. I was hopeful of an EVP. After reviewing all of our footage later that night, we didn't get anything. Not even a whisper.

In the middle of April, I finally got word that the police were reopening Aaron's case based on new physical evidence. It hit the news a week later. Jacob was a little miffed that we weren't mentioned, but I didn't mind. I didn't want to have to deal with the publicity that would surely follow the claims of a psychic helping solve a crime like that. After I explained my point of view, Jacob calmed down. He was still disappointed, and I couldn't blame him. It would have been great for the team, but bad for me.

A few weeks later, we got a call from a man in his sixties named Ed who said his house was haunted. He gave us the same story every other person in the world said: he heard footsteps in the hall, lights flickered on and off, and he often caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. We made the appointment with him and gathered the team. Even I was fully expecting to put it off as the house settling.

Almost as soon as we pulled up, I realized that wasn't the case. An older woman who looked like she could be Ed's mother sat on the porch. She had on a light blue shirt with a black skirt and plain shoes. Nobody said anything to her, and the way she looked at me said she knew I was different from the others. I heard her voice in my head before Jake knocked on the door.

"The last bedroom," she said. Her voice was clear and high-pitched. "The nightstand."

I nodded at her and pointed to the camera around my neck. She shook her head, so I didn't take a picture. Once inside, everyone went through introductions. I was already curious about the nightstand in the last bedroom. I barely paid attention when my name was given to Ed. I looked at him when he shook my hand. He had lines on his sun-tanned face, most of them laughing lines that made him look very friendly. The feel in the house, aside from the old lady's impatience, was peaceful. He kept the place clean, both physically and spiritually.

"So what we'd like to do is get a tour of the house and a few experiences that you've had in particular areas," Jacob said. "Just give us the basic rundown and point out any specific places you've had something abnormal happen."

Ed nodded and took us around the house and told us that sometimes the water in the bathroom would turn on by itself in addition to all of the other phenomena. As we walked down the hall, he caught my interest.

"Most of the activity is in the last bedroom over here."

We all filed in after him, and I saw the old woman standing by the nightstand. I cleared my throat.

"Is your mother still alive?" I asked.

Ed nodded. "Yes. She's in a care center right now, but yes. Why?"

I licked my lips. "I'm just curious. Do you know a woman with white hair, green eyes, and a brown birthmark on her left cheek?"

His eyes widened. "My grandmother had a birthmark like that. Her name was Ruby." He glanced at Jacob. "How does she know that?"

Jacob patted his arm. "She's a psychic."

Ed's eyebrows furrowed. "So can you see her?" He sounded like he wasn't sure if he believed it was real.

I nodded. "Yes, I can. She's standing by the nightstand. She's been trying to get your attention."

"Well, she's got it. That was her nightstand. It was supposed to be auctioned off along with all of her other belongings after her death, but somehow it ended up here. I'm still confused about that."

Ruby smiled and pointed at herself. I nodded. "Spirits can sometimes interfere and get things to go their way. She wanted you to have it."

Quil took a few steps forward, his camcorder trained on the nightstand. Claire followed right behind him with a tape recorder.

"Has she said anything?" Ed asked.

I shrugged. "Not much. Just that she—"

An image of money in my mind interrupted me. Ruby's voice accompanied it. "I saved it for him. He needs it."

"She what?" Ed asked, annoyed.

I shook my head. "She saved money for you. It's in the nightstand."

Ed paused for a moment before he laughed out loud. "My grandmother died a penniless seamstress. She didn't save a dime."

"So you wouldn't mind if I looked?" I asked, gesturing to the piece of furniture.

Ed stepped to the side, giving me room to get past him. "Have at it, Lady."

"Thanks." I just hoped Ruby knew what she was talking about.

With her guidance, it only took me a few minutes to find the secret compartment hidden inside the drawer. It didn't hold cash money, but it did hold a key and a number to a safe deposit box. Ed was nothing short of flabbergasted when I handed them to him.

"I've had that thing for five years and never knew about that. How did you find it?"

"I didn't find it, Mr. Thompson. Your grandmother showed it to me." I patted his hands and looked at Jacob. "I hope we get some of this on tape."

He laughed. "Me too."

We didn't stay much longer; there wasn't a reason to. We went to Quil's place this time to review our footage. We did get a blurry silhouette sitting to my side when I was going through the nightstand, but other than that and a brief EVP that could have been anything from a cat outside to a spirit, we didn't catch anything. Quil said it was interesting; he still didn't believe in it, but he liked the idea that the man's grandmother was still looking after him.

The next month was quiet as far as investigations went. With the equipment I carried around with me, I caught a few of my own EVPs and a picture of what had been a small boy playing in my back yard. It was nothing conclusive, though. I came up with the idea that if I could get something that would convince Quil, it would convince my parents as well.

Jacob, Quil, Claire, and I all got together for the Fourth of July. We had a bar-b-cue at Quil's house and set off a few fireworks. Somehow, by the end of the night, I'd found myself drifting closer and closer to Jacob. I realized I was holding his hand, but I couldn't remember when I'd started. A part of me really liked the warmth and strength from his, but another part of me was afraid of letting myself feel that way. He smiled at me, and I smiled back like nothing was wrong. He didn't pull away from me, so I let myself enjoy it.

He took me home a while later and walked me up to my door. "Did you have a good night?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes, I did. Thanks for letting me celebrate my freedom with you."

He smirked and took a step closer to me. My heart started to pound as he reached out and rested his weight on his hand on the door frame behind me. He met my eyes and seemed to watch me for a moment before he dipped his head and kissed my cheek. A simultaneous wave of relief and disappointment washed through me. He cleared his throat and stepped back.

"Sleep well, Ness." He touched my other cheek and walked back to his car. It took me a moment to be able to turn back around and open the door.

I wasn't sure what to do about my feelings for Jacob. After the fourth, I started to realize that I wanted more than just a friendship. I thought maybe he did, too, but I was nervous about it. I wasn't the "let's see what happens" kind of girl. I'd seen too many relationships end in disaster. I wanted to get to know him better and find out if my feelings were more than just physical attraction.

I wanted to talk to Jacob about what happened, but I didn't get the chance right away. The next time I heard from Jake was when he called me to tell me of a new investigation we had scheduled. A couple with a ten month old baby was afraid the boy might be in danger. They had two children, but the older boy didn't seem to be affected. The parents claimed to have put him in his crib at night only to find him in an empty bathtub the next morning. They also claimed to find scratches and bruises that they could not explain. The older boy—six years old—didn't seem to know anything about it.

My stomach hurt as we packed our things to go to the couples' home. I hated dark spirits who preyed on babies and children. I couldn't see how an entity could get more evil.

"Are you okay?" Quil asked as we got in the van.

I looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just not sure what to expect."

He patted my shoulder. "It's probably the older boy like that one time."

I remembered the boy with the light switches. I nodded, pretending that made me feel better, but it really didn't. If it was the older boy, he was trying to kill his brother.

The ache in my stomach seemed to get worse the closer we got to the house. It spread to my back as we parked. One look in the window, and I realized why. It was only a brief flash, but it brought back so many memories of the things I'd seen as a child. What I would call its head peeked out at me while long, thin limbs stretched to the top, probably even to the ceiling inside. I closed my eyes and shook my head. I had figured out how to make them leave me alone for the most part, but I wasn't sure how I was going to help the baby.

"You okay, Ness?" Jacob asked.

I looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

He smiled and took my hand as he helped me out of the car. I felt out of breath as I walked in the house. The Jefferson family greeted us and explained what had been going on. They were concerned for their baby's safety. I couldn't blame them. I wanted to meet the little guy, but both the kids were staying with grandparents while we did our investigation.

We first checked out the baby's room. I realized when we walked in that it was not the room that had the window I'd seen outside. There was surprisingly little activity there. We set up a camera and audio equipment anyway and moved on to the hallway and the older boy's room.

Just outside a room with the name Michael written across the door, something hit me. It was a sharp squeezing pain in my back and chest. I gasped and put my hand on the wall to steady myself.

"What happened?" Claire asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know." It was a lie. I did know, but it would be weird trying to explain the feeling of something trying to invade my body.

"Should I get Jacob?"

He and Quil were in the parents' room downstairs. I shook my head and forced a barrier around me. It eased the pain enough to go on. "No. Let's keep going."

She nodded, but it looked uncertain. I smiled to reassure her and opened Michael's door. I shivered at the sight of the long-limbed, black creature on the wall by the window. The same window I'd seen outside. Its head turned to look at me, and a wicked smile appeared on its misshapen mouth. I swallowed and refused to look at it. We looked around a little bit when I saw something under the bed. I stooped down to pull it out.

It was a medium-sized piece of white poster board. It had letters written across the top, numbers along the bottom, and "yes" and "no" written in the middle, all in a child's handwriting. I knew exactly what it was. The sight of it felt like a kick in my stomach. I stood up and grabbed Claire's arm to drag her with me out the door.

"What is it?" she asked, alarmed.

I covered my mouth with my hand to keep from throwing up. I'd never played with Ouija boards myself, but I'd had friends who liked to tease me with them after they found out what I could do. No matter how much experience a person had with them, they never led to anything but trouble. If there was a way to control what came through them, I had yet to find it. That board in there was the cause of all the trouble in this house; I had no doubt of it. What was worse was that I couldn't help them. The boy brought it on them, and they'd have to have a lot more than a paranormal investigation team to make it go away.

I explained it to Claire when I was able to speak again. Her eyes widened in fear, but she still insisted on taking a few more pictures and some video of the room before we could leave. I couldn't leave her alone, but I couldn't go back in the room. We left the door open, and I stood in the entryway while she did what she wanted.

I wanted to run away, but I couldn't leave everyone else behind. I had to at least find Jacob. In the parents' room, he and Quil were arguing over where to put the audio equipment. They looked surprised to see us.

"How'd it go?" Jacob asked. "Ness, you okay? You look like you've . . . well, like you've seen a ghost." He smirked.

I couldn't find the humor. Instead of taking the time to explain, I walked up to him and pushed myself against him. My arms wrapped around his waist, and I shoved my face in his shirt. He hugged me awkwardly for a minute before he pushed me back. I really wished I could just disappear into him. It would make things so much easier.

"What happened?" he asked.

I took a deep breath and explained it as best as I could. Everything I'd seen and felt from the pain to the spider-thing in Michael's room to the Ouija board. "I need to get out of here, Jacob," I pleaded. "I can't stay here."

Jacob was hesitant to leave, but I couldn't let him stay. It took some tears and begging, but finally he and Quil agreed to leave. He wasn't happy with me, but at least he wasn't there anymore. We went back to his house to review what little footage we did get. There wasn't much, which didn't surprise me. A few shadows here and there and what could have been a cough or a laugh in an EVP.

I was too nervous to talk about anything that might have been building between us. I couldn't tell if he was really angry with me or just disappointed that we didn't catch anything. Instead of bringing it up, I just went home.

The next night as I was doing my homework, I felt someone in the room with me. I turned around to check behind me, but of course no one was there. That in and of itself was not abnormal.

"Is someone there?" I asked. There was no response. I waited for a few seconds before I turned back. The air in the room grew thicker. I tried to ignore it and just finish my homework. As the minutes passed, the weight of presence on my back steadily got heavier until it felt like there was a physical person in the room, standing right behind me. I turned again. I was still alone.

I shivered and went back to my homework. "Please leave me alone right now," I said. "I'm tired and busy."

I didn't hear any response, but somehow it felt like something in the room was amused by my request. I took a deep breath and started to read again.

A few minutes later, I heard what sounded like a drawer in the kitchen pulled out and pushed back in. Before I got up to check what it was, I took a quick moment to make sure my psychic barriers were strong. A quick memory of the Ouija board in Michael's room flashed through my mind, and I shivered. I licked my lips and got up to check the house to make sure what I'd heard was spiritual and not an actual intruder.

As I'd suspected, I was alone. On my way back to my room, I reminded whatever was there that they were not allowed. I refused to invite it in, no matter what it wanted.

There were more noises as I finished reading the chapter. Creaks and shuffles and things I couldn't even be sure I'd actually heard. I realized what was going on as I shut down the computer. I wasn't the only one doing homework. I was being watched. Observed. Studied. A deep shiver ran down my spine. I pushed it away as much as possible and climbed into bed.

~*~0~*~

Things between Jake and me seemed tense for a while. I took the time to talk to Michael's parents about the Ouija board and why I couldn't help them. I suggested contacting a priest and wrapping the board in sage to bury it, but I doubt they listened to me.

I barely talked to Jake. When I did, it was between classes on campus. My friends said I needed to just go over to his house and fuck him senseless. I could only imagine the problems that could cause. Above all else, I wanted to maintain a friendship with him.

Thursday a week later, while I was writing an essay for my English class, my phone beeped with a text message. It was from Jake and just said, _I'm coming_.

Confused, I responded, _Okay_. I guessed he wanted to talk.

A few minutes later, another text came in from him. _Okay what?_

_Okay, you can come over._

_Who said I was coming over?_

Annoyed, I called instead of texting again. He picked up after the second ring. "You texted saying you were coming over."

He scoffed. "No, I didn't. I've been sitting here watching _The Walking Dead_; I'm not going anywhere."

I sighed. "All right. Sorry I bothered you." I hung up and looked through my texts again. It was right there, staring me in the face. I didn't know why he wanted to play with me like that, but it hurt. I'd gotten my hopes up for nothing. I did my best to push it aside and get back to my essay.

An hour later, I got another text.

_I'm coming._

From Jacob again. I frowned and ignored it.

_I'm close._

Sure you are, I thought. Jerk.

_I'm at your front door. Knock, knock._

I sighed in exasperation and was about to turn my phone off when there was a knock at the door. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be angry or not, but I got up anyway to answer it.

"Honestly, Jacob," I said as I swung open the door. "You could have—"

Nobody was there. I stepped out on the porch and looked around. He was gone. Tears stung my eyes as I slammed the door and marched back to my room to get my phone.

_You're not funny, asshole. If you want to talk, I'll talk. If not, leave me alone._

I mashed the send button and sat down at the computer to try to get some more work done. Not even a minute passed before my phone started to ring. It was Jacob.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" he demanded when I answered.

I explained the text messages and answering the door to nobody. "I get that I pissed you off, Jake, but do you really have to be so immature about it?"

He sighed. "Ness, I haven't texted you. I told you that the first time. I've been here in my living room with my phone right beside me. I was mad, yes, but I got over it. I'm not upset about it anymore."

"So I just imagined the whole thing? I'm crazy now?"

"I didn't say that. I just said I didn't text you or come over."

I closed my eyes tightly and ran my fingers through my hair. It wasn't like a spirit could do that. Then I stopped for a minute. Yes, it could. A mischievous one that might have been studying me for the last week and knew me and my habits. And I'd just let it in.

"I don't know what to think, Jake," I said hesitantly. It couldn't harm me before, but now it had permission to be in my house. Getting rid of it wouldn't be easy. "Could you . . . would you come over? Please?" I was suddenly terrified of being alone. If someone was with me, there was a better chance it couldn't do too much damage.

He was silent for a minute before he spoke again. "Yeah, I'll get ready and head out. Give me twenty minutes, okay?"

I sighed in relief. "Okay. Thank you."

I clutched my phone and went to the living room to wait on the couch with my back pressed against the cushions. I looked around carefully at all the empty space in front of me. I wasn't used to things I couldn't see preying on me like this. A part of me really hoped Jacob was lying and that he had actually been pulling a prank, but on the other hand, I wasn't sure I could forgive him if he was.

The next twenty minutes felt like ages. It was twenty hours of silence. The knock on the door startled me. I jumped and shrank back into the couch until Jacob knocked again and called my name. I managed to unravel myself and open the door. He came in and shut it behind him.

"So what's going on?" he asked.

I wasn't sure what I was doing, but I found myself explaining what I thought had happened and showing him the texts that had come in from his number. His brow furrowed, and he took the phone from my hands to go through them.

"I swear I didn't send these. You can look in my phone." He pulled it out and handed it to me. Although I knew he could have deleted them, I still believed him.

I leaned in and hugged him. "I'm scared," I whimpered.

His arms wrapped tightly around me. "It's okay, Ness. It'll be okay."

I let myself be comforted by his presence. His hard, physical body holding me was so reassuring. It was real; in this realm with me. He couldn't promise that nothing could hurt me, and I was pretty sure he knew that. It still felt nice to have him here.

"Thank you so much for coming, Jake." I pulled back and looked up at him. "I'm sorry for what happened at the Jefferson's."

He smiled and pushed a lock of hair behind my ear. "I've already forgotten about that; you don't need to be sorry."

I nodded. "Thanks."

He rubbed my back and went to sit on the couch. I sat next to him and melted into his side when he stretched a long arm over my shoulders.

"I've done some research on Ouija boards," he said. "They're supposed to invoke spirits, right?"

"Something like that, yeah. They pretty much open a portal so anything can come through. They don't need specific permission."

"Do you think this thing could have latched on to you from the Jefferson's?"

I nodded again. "It didn't start until we went there. Things like this like to play with us. Humans, I mean. It's more fun for them when we can respond to the things they do, which is why they often seek out mediums and psychics."

"How do you get rid of it?"

I shrugged and sank further into him. "I've done it before, but it was a long time ago and I didn't have one specific thing after me. It was just all the darker things around me that I didn't want to see anymore. I had help, too. My friend Joseph is also a medium. He moved to New York a number of years ago, though, and I haven't been able to get a hold of him again. I think I can do it; I just have to learn more about it."

Jacob sighed and kissed my head. I looked up, a little surprised by the action. He met my eyes, and all I could do was stare. His brilliant brown eyes seemed to bore into mine, seeing all the way to my core. His arm tightened around me, and he leaned down ever so slightly. I tilted my chin up and felt my eyelids begin to slide closed for the kiss that seemed inevitable.

Just before his lips touched mine, there was a loud crash in the kitchen. My heart jumped into my throat as Jacob jumped off the couch.

"What was that?" he demanded in alarm.

With my hand on my heart, I stood up next to him. It wasn't an intruder—I could see the front door from where we were, there was no back door or balcony, and we were on the third floor.

"That was probably just something to stop what was about to happen." I blushed a little and cleared my throat. Jake didn't say anything, so I led the way to the kitchen where two pots and a frying pan had been thrown from the cupboard. They sat in the middle of the floor.

"That's a little creepy," he said.

I could help but laugh without humor. "This is what I accidentally invited into my house."

Jake helped me pick up the mess and put everything away. "I don't want you to be alone tonight, Ness."

I looked at him and nodded. "I don't want to be alone, either."

He looked down for a second before he met my eyes again. "Do you want to come over to my place? Get away from that thing?"

I smiled sadly. "It would just follow me, then you'd have to deal with it, too, because it'd have permission there as well."

He cursed under his breath. "What if I stay here? I can crash on the couch."

I stepped up to him and hugged his waist. "Thank you again for everything, Jake."

He smiled and dipped his head to give me a quick kiss on the lips. "You're welcome."

After we said goodnight, he laid on the couch and I went to my room. I spent most of the night touching my lips and wondering what could have happened if those damn pots had stayed in the cupboard.

~*~0~*~

I wasn't sure what to do with my feelings over the next few days. I knew Jake liked me at least a little more than just a friend, but I was honestly afraid we'd ruin everything if we tried a relationship. I wanted to talk to him, but every attempt at calling him just got his voicemail. All of my texts went unanswered. I could only assume he didn't get them. It reminded me a little too much of how I still couldn't contact Joseph. I didn't even see Jake on campus, although I did run into Claire at the grocery store. She said he'd been trying to get a hold of me for an upcoming investigation. Quil had somehow managed to get us an opening at the old children's hospital the next week. She gave me the information, and I asked her to tell the others I'd be there.

That night, Jacob texted me. I was pretty sure it wasn't actually him.

_We don't want you on the team anymore._

I scoffed. "Nice try," I said to whatever had sent it. "I'm not that stupid."

A moment later, the phone rang. It was Jacob. My heart jumped excitedly, and I answered quickly. The voice on the other end was not Jacob. It was nothing more than a low growl. The moment I heard it, my eyes watered and a harsh, squeezing pain gripped my back and chest. I couldn't even try to push it away; I was caught. Time seemed suspended as seconds became hours. The pain made my knees weak, but I didn't fall. I couldn't scream. I could only feel and hear. The snarl on the phone seemed to form a word.

"Mine."

Something inside me broke free and lashed out. A burning flame deep inside rushed to the surface and broke whatever hold I'd been bound by.

"No!" I screamed. I threw the phone and fell to my knees. My whole body was shaking and I couldn't see through the tears in my eyes, but I was free. "I'm not yours, motherfucker! You can't have me."

In an instant, I was alone again. It was a few minutes before I was able to crawl to the couch. I flopped up on the cushions and closed my eyes tightly. What had I gotten myself into?

~*~0~*~

My phone hadn't been on for a week. When I started getting texts from both Joseph and Jacob saying the same things, I took the battery out. I'd finally gotten to talk to Jake on campus and confirmed everything as far as the hospital investigation. He wanted to talk to me about my phone and why he couldn't contact me, but I didn't feel like I could say anything. It wasn't because I thought he wouldn't believe me. I knew he would. But something inside me was blocking it. Instead of explaining the situation, I went to class.

On the day of the investigation, I got everything together and went to meet the team. I was the last to show up.

An eerie feeling settled around the place. Looking up at the building in the fading sunlight gave me the shivers. I had a feeling we were going to catch something big here.

"Are you okay to do this?" Jake asked.

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Let's do it." I smiled and followed him in.

We met with our guide who gave us a tour of the place and the things some people had reported. Children's voices, which wasn't surprising. There were kids all over the place. A few of them darted in between rooms as we walked down the halls. I took pictures while Claire worked the video camera. There were reports of lights being seen in the windows from outside and a nurse roaming the grounds.

After the tour, we set up our equipment and separated into teams. Quil and I hadn't worked together yet, so we were sent to one hall while Jake and Claire took another. I noticed the look Quil gave to the girl before we walked away. She smiled what seemed to be a reassurance. It wasn't hard to tell he was concerned for her. I glanced at Jake. He met my eyes briefly, then we parted ways.

"You wanna show me where the good spooks are?" Quil asked.

I looked up at him as we walked down the hall. He was manning the camera while I took the video. "They're everywhere. You just have to know where to point the camera." I pointed down the hall. "See there? There's a little girl in a white hospital gown. The kids like to play."

Quil followed me to where the girl twirled in front of an open room. She smiled excitedly and ducked into the room. We walked in behind her, and I shivered. The little girl danced in a circle before she stopped and gave me a strange look. Her eyes grew wide and her smile fell only a moment before she shook her head and ran away, disappearing through the wall.

"Wait," I called. "It's okay, we just—"

A pair of hands wrapping around my throat stopped me. I gasped and reached up to grab them away.

"Ness?" Quil asked. I was able to turn to look at him. He was standing across the room.

The fingers around my neck tightened until I couldn't breathe. I tried to beg Quil to make it stop. Help me. My vision began to blur, and my ears became clouded. I heard shouts and screams, but I couldn't tell what was real and what was my imagination.

Then it was gone. I fell into a pair of arms and coughed as I gasped for air.

"I've got you, Ness," Jacob said. "I've got you. You're safe now. Come on."

I wasn't sure where we were going, but I followed. I heard more shouts as Jacob told the other two to gather up our equipment. We'd been there long enough. A part of me felt bad for cutting two investigations short.

We went back to Quil's to review the footage. Well, they reviewed the footage. Jake made me lay down on the couch and relax. I didn't put up too much of a fight. My throat still burned, and Claire made some tea for me to sip. About an hour into it, Quil sat up straight and seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

"Holy fucking shit," he said softly.

Jacob got up to see what he had. "Oh my God. Ness, come here." He didn't look away from the computer screen as he gestured with his hand for me to get over there. I got up to see what was going on. Claire was busy listening to the audio.

It was a picture of me in the darkened hospital room. My hands were on my throat, my eyes had rolled to the back of my head, and my mouth was open as I tried to scream. Behind me, slightly to the right of my head, was a dark, shadowy figure. It was fuzzy, but still pretty clear as far as these things went. The eyes were soft white and seemed to almost glow like orbs. It was the grin that got me. Wide and unsettling like a Cheshire smile, it seemed to float right next to my ear. I shivered deeply and backed away from the computer.

At that moment, Claire gasped and pulled the headphones from her ears. "Quil!"

He got up and went to see what she needed. He rubbed her back as he listened to what she'd heard. I stepped a little closer to Jake and shivered again. It was hard to swallow. After a moment, Quil unplugged the headphones and shook his head as he sighed.

"Ness, you're not going to like this."

I looked up at Jacob. He put his arm around me. "What is it?"

Quil played the section. It was me, gasping for air and trying to call for help. In the middle of it, clear as day, was another voice. It was much deeper than Quil's. Just two words, but that was all I needed to hear.

"She's mine."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! Any guesses as to what might happen next?


	5. Final Investigation

A/N: I don't even remember how long it's been. My apologies. If there is anyone out there still reading this story, thank you so much for sticking around. The next update will be the epilogue from Jake's point of view.

Enjoy :)

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Medium

~*~0~*~  
Part Four – Final investigation  
~*~0~*~

I knew the basics when it came to getting rid of an unwanted entity. I already had a good stock of sage and candles. After doing some research, I bought some oils that were reputedly used for protection and banishing negative energies. I burned the sage in every room of the apartment and smeared the oils on every door frame as I said the words that would supposedly get rid of the thing. I had to repeat it every day for a week, and Jacob came over to help a few times.

I still didn't dare turn my phone back on. Jake and I talked in person almost every day. I told him about my fears of starting a relationship, and he said he was worried about the same thing. We both wanted it, and it made me feel a little more comfortable knowing he wasn't going to rush into something more serious than we were ready for. We decided to take it slow and let it build before we acted on it. It was exciting when he'd lean in to kiss me, though.

The things I did to protect myself seemed to work for a few weeks. I felt at peace again. The pictures and audio we'd gotten from the hospital spread like wildfire over the internet. They became pretty popular in the believing crowd, although the skeptics called it a hoax. Quil confessed to me that he couldn't deny what he'd seen, and he believed that it was a real paranormal experience. My parents still didn't believe it, but they hadn't been there.

It was early August when the dreams started. At first, they were little more than me racing through complete darkness searching for something. They were intense dreams that often left me feeling lost and a little alone even in my waking hours. I couldn't seem to explain it very well when my friends or Jacob would ask me what was wrong. Then one night, I found the thing I'd been chasing.

It was a man. He stood in the middle of a field with dead grass and skeletal trees. He was dressed from head to toe in black. His eyes were the color of moonstone and seemed to shine against the darkness all around him. His Cheshire grin spread from ear to ear, revealing uneven, cracked teeth. I felt strangely drawn to him in a way that both fascinated and frightened me.

When I told Jake about the new dream a few days later, he pursed his lips.

"I don't like that," he said. He shook his head.

I looked up at him. "Why?"

He met my eyes. "Milky eyes and a wide grin. Sound familiar?" He lightly touched my neck, and I understood.

How had I not seen it before? I shivered, and my eyes watered. "So it's back?"

Jake held me tighter. "Don't worry, Ness. We'll do all the protection stuff again, and everything will be okay. You'll see."

I tried to relax and trust what he said.

For a while, nothing happened other than the dreams. They were always the same and happened at least three times a week. We started fall semester in September and went about our usual routines. As much as I hated doing it, I told Jacob I couldn't do anymore investigations. He said he understood; he didn't want to put me in that situation ever again. It felt nice knowing that he really did care. He continued to do investigations with Quil and Claire, and we continued to sort-of see each other. We were friends, but it was clear to both of us that someday we would be more.

After the fourth week back in school, I started to notice signs that the entity was back in my house. I felt it watching me again. Every move I made was studied carefully. It followed me everywhere this time; it wasn't just in my house. There were times I could feel it sitting next to me in class. It started to affect the way I saw things. It seemed as if everything I'd seen my whole life had been through rose-colored glasses, and now I was seeing the truth. Dark shadows lurked in every corner. People's faces melted as they walked down the street. Children's laughter sounded twisted and demonic.

I couldn't even be near Jake anymore. Every time I saw him, I had an overwhelming fear that he would die. I started to avoid him whenever I could. I couldn't even explain it to him, because I knew he would just try to protect me.

A part of me wanted to give in and just let it have me. It wasn't like it would really gain a whole lot. It wanted me for the power I had to see beyond the veil. One little medium wouldn't suddenly give it the power to take over the world, but I would make it stronger. It was why they preyed on us; to become stronger and have the ability to affect normal people without that power.

Another part of me—the stronger, more stubborn part—refused to give in. I didn't care how little it stood to gain from taking me; I wasn't about to be a piece in its puzzle. I would fight until I won.

On my way to class the next Tuesday, I saw Jacob running up to me. I swallowed hard and tried to just be happy that I could see him for a brief moment.

"Ness, hey." He stopped me and pulled me into a hug. "What's going on? Why haven't I seen you?"

I shrugged a little and stepped back. "I've been busy. How are you?"

"I'm great. Guess what? I got the team into that house up on Oak Street; the one that doesn't have any windows." He smiled proudly.

I knew I should have congratulated him. I should be happy for him. The House Without Windows was his dream hunt. All I could feel was an overpowering sense of dread. I met his eyes for a long moment before I shook my head.

"Please don't go there," I said softly.

He leaned down and kissed my lips. "We'll be fine, Ness. I promise. I'll let you know if we catch anything, okay?" He kissed me again. "I've got to run. Come see me sometime; I miss you." He touched my cheek briefly before he walked away, probably headed to his class.

I sighed and turned to go home. My stomach was in knots; I wouldn't be able to learn anything anyway. All I could think about was Jacob going into that house. Just the thought of it made my back tense up. There was something very evil there.

That night was one of the worst I'd had in a long time. I sat on my bed with my eyes closed and tried so hard to block out images of something going terribly wrong during his investigation of that house. Anything could happen. I thought of everything from small cuts and bruises to death. The ways in which an entity could manipulate its surroundings in a place with so much negative energy were endless.

I wanted so badly to call him and tell him again not to go. I wiped the tears from my cheeks and got up to see if I put my phone back together. It was easier than I thought it would be, but then it wouldn't turn on. I tried plugging it in, but nothing happened. I took it apart again and got some paper out of my drawer. My head felt fuzzy, and it was hard to concentrate. My hands shook as I clicked the pen and put it to the paper.

_Jacob,_

_Please don't go to that house. Please. I can't even tell you how . . ._

_This thing; it wants me. If you go, it will hurt you. _

_I'm falling in love with you. _

_Nessie_

I didn't have time to read what I wrote. A sense of urgency settled in my chest as I quickly folded up the paper and shoved it in my purse. I wasn't sure if I'd made it in time, but at least I'd tried. I crawled back up on my bed and covered my ears with my hands. With my eyes closed tightly, I sat there and tried to block the pressure on my back.

"Go away," I begged. It didn't help. My throat felt tight, and it was hard to breathe.

I swallowed and took a deep breath. "Go away!" I screamed again. I think I heard a laugh.

With fresh tears in my eyes, I just prayed I survived the night.

~*~0~*~

It didn't seem to matter who I talked to—priest, demonologist, friend—nobody could help me. Another psychic I talked to said that the dark entity had been following me since I was a child. Although I'd seen dark things when I was younger, I was able to make them go away. This had somehow managed to work itself into my head, and it seemed impossible to get it back out.

I had learned at a young age to pay attention to my dreams. Not all of them were noteworthy, but sometimes they could give me answers I couldn't find anywhere else. One night I dreamed of the man in black with the wide grin in the meadow. He beckoned me, and I had such an urge to go to him. Halfway across the field, I made myself stop. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Why me?" I asked.

The grin never faltered. "Because you saw me." His mouth never moved; I heard the thin, raspy voice in my head.

I shivered as I remembered the long-limbed, spider-creature in the boy's bedroom. I'd seen it before, and others like it, when I was young.

"So that other psychic was right." I said it to myself, but I still saw the reaction. Pleasure was written all over the man's blank face.

"I've waited a long time for you."

He didn't say anything else, but I got the impression that he wasn't happy with the things that had gotten in his way. Joseph was the first, then my refusal to let anything back in, and now Jacob. My gut churned. I had been right to be afraid for Jacob and this new hunt.

No matter how many times I begged Jacob not to do the investigation, he told me everything would be okay and they'd go through with it as planned. I hadn't given him the note. I wasn't really sure I wanted to. It seemed so stupid now. The only thing in it I hadn't actually said to his face was that I was falling in love with him. If I was being honest with myself, I couldn't really be sure I was really feeling that. It could just be this intense desire to keep him safe.

Whatever it was, I found myself preparing to go to the house with him. I just had to make sure he'd be okay. It took some internal work, but I somehow managed to find the fire inside that had broke the first hold the entity had on me. I tried to work with it, but didn't have much time. The investigation was in one week; the week before Thanksgiving. Jacob didn't know I was planning to accompany him. He would try to talk me out of it if he knew. I didn't give him the chance considering all the times I'd tried to do the same.

When the night arrived, I packed several things in my pockets. I had stones and oils and herbs to help protect me and the rest of the team. I wasn't sure how well they'd work, but it was worth a shot. I ignored everything as I drove to the house. Jacob and the rest were there when I pulled up.

"What are you doing here?" Jacob asked as he walked down the grassy hill to meet me.

I shrugged and licked my lips. "I had to come."

He sighed. "No, Ness. Go home."

I looked up at him and met his eyes. "I can't, Jake. You don't understand. I have to be here with you."

He grumbled for a moment before he hugged my shoulders. "Don't stay if you get scared, okay?"

I would stay as long as I felt he was in danger. Instead of saying that, I just nodded. He leaned in and kissed my lips. My eyes watered as despair settled in my chest. Something terrible was going to happen tonight; I could feel it. I did my best to push it aside and stay strong.

We met with our guide who showed us around and told us the stories about the place. There were so many. Nobody knew what was true and what wasn't. Some speculated that the house had been used for sacrifices, both human and animal, while others believed it had been a place to house and torture slaves. Some even said it was a gateway to hell. It seemed the ringing in my ears became louder with each corner we turned. We saw each of the three bedrooms, the dilapidated bathroom and kitchen, and the so-called living area that had been badly misused by people breaking in to do stupid things like fake Wiccan ceremonies or have sex. On one wall was a large mirror that nearly ran from floor to ceiling. Pieces of it were missing or broken.

Jacob chuckled. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall . . ."

I looked up at him and shivered. "Don't say that." He just smiled at me. "What's that sound?" I asked. Something was buzzing like an electric hum in the living area.

The guide shook his head. "I don't hear anything unusual. What is it you hear?" I explained it, and he tried to pass it off as a generator. We all knew the place didn't have a generator. I didn't push the issue. I'd find the source later.

I made sure I would be with Jacob as the investigation started. We put up all of our equipment, then the lights were turned off. In the brief second before we were swallowed by darkness, I saw a third person's reflection in the mirror. Jacob stood on my right. On my left was the tall man in black with the wicked smile. I gripped Jacob's arm to contain my scream.

The electric hum in the room was suddenly deafening. I put my hands over my ears to block it out. It seemed like a lifetime before Jacob got the flashlight. He pointed it at me.

"Still doing okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. You really can't hear that buzzing?" I felt like I had to yell to be heard over it.

"No, I can't. Let me know if it gets worse or changes, okay?"

I nodded again and took a step closer to him. He held my hand as he swiped the flashlight across the room. I didn't see anything until the light hit the mirror. The reflections of dark, misshapen creatures I'd seen before as a child made me gasp.

"What is it?" Jake asked.

I closed my eyes tightly. The hum was gone; I could only hear Jake and myself breathing. "Nothing."

"I think you need to leave. I can handle it in here just fine. Go on." He tried to push me toward the door, but there wasn't any way I was going to leave him in this room alone.

I shook my head and stood my ground. "No, Jacob, I'm fine. I'm not leaving you here."

He sighed. "Look, this isn't about me, okay? I'm trying to keep you safe."

"And I'm trying to do the same thing for you. Dammit, this thing wants you dead because of me. I'm not leaving you alone."

Jacob took a step back and ran his fingers through his hair as he grumbled. I tried to ignore him and continue the investigation so we could go. I faced the mirror in time to see one of the creatures behind me. One of its long, black limbs raised as if to strike. Before I could react, the pointed end came down on me. It didn't feel like what I would expect a knife in the back would be. Instead of the physical pain of skin and bones breaking, it was a deep, dull pain in my soul. The wind had been knocked out of me, but I didn't fall.

"Ness?" Jacob's voice sounded a million miles away. "Nessie, what's going on?"

It started as the same pressure on my back that I'd felt a million times before, but it didn't stop. It just kept getting harder and tighter until it became painful. I reached out and grabbed Jacob's shoulder tightly. He pulled back from me as thought I'd stung him.

"Jesus, Ness, that hurt."

I wanted to apologize at the same time I wanted to smack him. My body wasn't working right. I couldn't reach up, and I couldn't speak. It was difficult to even breathe. I tried so hard to fight it. If I could only find that fire again. The mere spark I managed to conjure wasn't enough.

I heard Jacob calling to me, but I couldn't tell what he was saying. There was a scream. Was it me?

Then suddenly it was gone. All of it. There was no more pain, no more sound, no more tears. A burst of bright, white light blinded me for three seconds, then it faded away and I was left in the darkness of the room. I could see again. Jacob stood in shock as if he wasn't sure what had just happened. Someone whimpered. I looked over to see Claire hiding herself in Quil's arms, her face pressed into his chest.

"Nessie?" Jacob said. He clicked the flashlight on. I hadn't realized it was off. The light was nearly blinding. "Ness, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Jake. I've never felt better." I smiled and moved to take a step closer to him. My legs didn't work the way I thought they should. Instead of the normal sensation of stepping on the ground, it felt as though I were floating. I'd never felt this light before; this utterly free of everything. It was wonderful.

"Jesus, Nessie, answer me," Jake cried. He yelled my name again, then stepped toward me. I told him again I was fine, but instead of looking at me, he stooped down. My eyes followed him, and that's when I saw the body.

My body. I gazed into my face for several long seconds before it hit me. If she was down there, and I was up here . . . I would have fallen to my knees if I wasn't so weightless. This wasn't real. I was going to wake up and everything would be fine. Jacob shook my lifeless body as he screamed at me to wake up. I wanted to cry. Everything around me became dull, as though it was all affected by the misery coursing through me. I tried to touch him. I felt him, but he didn't respond to me.

"Jacob, please. Hear me, please, Jake!"

He slumped down and buried his face in my body's neck as he sobbed. I never knew grief like this. I couldn't leave him; not like this. Maybe if I could get back into my body. I tried to lay down in my body, but it didn't work. I didn't know what to do.

"Is she . . .?" Quil's question trailed off, but I knew what he wanted to ask.

I looked over at him. Jacob hadn't moved from my side.

"She's dead," he croaked.

Claire whimpered. Quil cursed.

"Get Claire out of here," Jacob said. "Go."

Quil cleared his throat. "I'm not leaving you here alone."

"The fuck you're not." Jacob looked back at Quil, and the anger pouring off of him surprised me.

Quil tucked Claire behind him as he took a step backward toward the door. "All right. We'll wait outside. And I'm calling an ambulance."

Jacob just nodded and turned back to my body. It was just him and me now. I sighed and stooped down to try to touch him.

"You need to leave, too, Jacob," I said. "Take my body and go."

He sniffled. "Ness . . . Goddammit. Why didn't I listen to you?"

A dark rumble began to shake the air beside me. I didn't even have to see it to know it was the monster that had killed me. I looked up to see the Cheshire man standing in front of the mirror. I didn't have to search for the fire. I was made of it. It rushed along the surface of my new skin like an electrical current.

The man reached a bony arm out to me. "You're mine now," he said with a distorted voice.

With fierce determination, I looked him in his moonstone eyes. "I'll never be yours," I spat. "And neither will Jacob. Go back to hell where you belong."

He snarled and lunged at me. My reaction was swift; it was as if I knew all along what to do. White hot light coursed through what would have been my veins as a pulse of raw energy erupted from my chest. A loud scream seemed to echo around me until it and the light faded away. I looked around. It seemed too simple. Was it really gone?

I waited for several long seconds for it to come back. When it didn't, I finally allowed myself to look around me. Paramedics were surrounding my body while Jacob was being escorted outside. Knowing there wasn't a chance of getting back inside myself, I followed him. He met with Quil and Claire, both talking with the police. They wanted to know how I died. All three had the same story, even though none of the authorities believed them. I was sure someone down the line would say I had a heart attack or some kind of fatal aneurism. I didn't really care. All I cared was that none of my friends took any blame.

I followed Jacob to the police station where he gave another statement, then back to his house. I wanted so badly to comfort him when he cried. I laid in his bed beside him and wondered what could have happened if I had let myself do the same when I was alive.

I wasn't sure if I was surprised when I didn't sleep. I didn't even get tired. I just laid there beside him all night, watching him and making sure he was okay. The Cheshire man never showed up. Nothing came to get me, and there was no bright light. I was okay with that. I was content to stay beside Jacob for the rest of eternity.

It didn't take long, maybe a week, to realize that I couldn't stay beside him. He was there at my funeral, although he didn't talk to anyone other than my old friend Joseph. Joseph looked different. He was older, and his face showed it. He didn't seem too surprised that something had gotten me. He didn't stay long, either. After he left, I resumed my self-appointed duty of watching over Jacob until it dawned on me that he blamed himself entirely for what had happened. It hurt me to know that. I didn't want him to carry that with him. I wanted him to go on and be happy; live life and get married. Have a family. Someone had found the note I'd written to him and made sure he got it. I sat beside him and cried in my own way when he got drunk and re-read it more times than I could count.

I never left him. Not really, anyway. I always knew where he was and checked up on him often. He visited me at my gravesite as well. I may have whispered a few thoughts in a few ears along the way; just a push to get a girl to talk to him or to get him to pay attention. I just wanted him to be happy.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! You guys are the best!


	6. Epilogue

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who gave this story a chance. It means the world to me. Big hugs and kisses!

As they say, all good things must come to an end. So here you go; this good thing's end. Enjoy!

* * *

Medium

~*~0~*~  
Epilogue  
~*~0~*~

The graveyard was quiet as usual. I looked out over the field of headstones and sighed to myself. I'd made so many mistakes so many years ago.

I still thought about Nessie every single day. Fifteen years had passed and I still had her picture and the letter she'd written to me. It had taken a long time, but I was eventually able to realize that I still had a life to live. I graduated college, got a good job, got married and had a few kids, but I still came to talk to Nessie every few months. My wife knew about the dead girl I visited, and I'd told Ness about Leah and the kids.

After she died, I didn't have the drive I'd had before to find proof of the afterlife. Nessie was my proof. As much as I didn't want to release the video or audio from that horrible investigation, it somehow got out. Both Quil and Claire swore they didn't do it. It all but went viral. There were forums all over the place debating whether or not it was real.

There had been moments—several of them over the years—when I could feel her with me. I didn't care if anyone believed me; I knew her presence when I felt it. She was with me even now as I sat on the bench and remembered the past.

Her friend Joseph had flown in from New York when he read her obituary in the paper. I talked with him for quite a while about everything that had happened and how she'd mentioned she had tried to get a hold of him. He didn't stay long, and we didn't keep in touch after he went home. Quil and Claire had done exactly what they'd been planning to do since they met. The day she turned eighteen, he took her out to dinner and declared himself her boyfriend. They dated exclusively for a few years before she felt it was appropriate to accept a ring from him. For a long while, I hated both of them. I could have had that with Nessie. If I'd been smarter, she could have lived and I could have married her. I eventually got over it, but I can't say that they're good friends anymore. Just another thing I've fucked up.

"I'm sorry, Ness," I said softly.

I looked up at the blue sky and closed my eyes. The sun's warmth felt good on my face. In the silence around me, I could feel Nessie's presence clearer than any other time. I smiled to myself. It was short lived; a moment later, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I checked the message and sighed.

"I guess I have to go," I said. "I'll be back soon. I love you, Nessie."


End file.
